Thank you to all the IPM volunteers who pulled off this magnificent event. Hundreds of vendors and thousands of volunteers worked tirelessly for 2 years preparing for approximately 100,000 visitors. Astounding!

Bird's eye view of the IPM tent city in Roseville.

Sandwiched nicely between Anna Olson & Rose Murray. So great to be around the best!

Wonderful to meet Anna Olson in person!

Ontario Gleaners was one of the IPM vendors and my dear friend Shelley Stone, who shared her recipe and story “Special Delivery” Black Forest Cake here, is the manager of the of the Ontario operations. So, it was a perfect fit to share Shelley’s recipe and story at IPM.

Challenges often lead to new and more wonderful things. Shelley’s recipe has brandy sprinkled on cooked layer cake, but for the IPM presentation, I was asked not to serve anything with uncooked alcohol. Getting a little creative, I made a brandy cream sauce instead and it is deelish! Think creamy toffee spiked with brandy! Hello!

If you see a fat man who is jolly and cute,Wearing a beard and a red flannel suit,
And if he is chuckling and laughing away,
While flying around in a miniature sleigh
With eight tiny reindeer to pull him along,
then lets face it… your eggnog’s too strong!!

Just in time for the Holiday Season! Two wonderful drinks you can serve your guests.

When my husband’s Aunt Susan was a young child, she emigrated with her family – and her 9 siblings! – from the Netherlands, more specifically, Friesland.

By her early 20’s, Susan was well-settled into Canadian life when she met Robert Hogeboom. They fell in love, married and had two beautiful children. Sadly, while the children were still young and Bob was only in his 40’s, he succumbed to cancer. He passed away too quickly and too young.

Susan was energetic and creative and watched her children grow up to marry and have grandchildren, but in her late 50’s, she too succumbed to cancer.

It is an honour to remember Bob and Susan here on the blog. There were very special people who left us wanting so much more of them.

Bob and Susan loved to entertain and Bob always made his own eggnog at Christmas time. Interestingly, he always made it by hand. He said the key was to mix it all with your bare fingers. I think it was his way of adding love. All great cooks know good food needs love. So, roll up your sleeves, scrub your hands really well and let’s get to work.

*By the way, Bob’s egg nog recipe remains popular with many of their relatives & friends. They have all made his egg nog over the years, but none of them make it by hand. 😉

Raise a glass of Christmas Cheer!

Susan was very musical and she often sang with her sisters. They all have great sense of humour and call themselves “The Sour Lemon Sisters.” One of her sisters, Maaike, whips up a very “sin”ful drink she calls Northern Slush. She once served it at a company gathering where it was a hit. One of the people at the party asked for the recipe and as Maaike was writing out the recipe, she realized she had accidentally doubled the liquor in the party batch. That night, a good time was had by all!

Happy Holidays!

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.~ Jenny Joseph

Nora (Schwier) Goodwin was raised in a close, loving German family. Nora’s Mami (mom) Mary Anne Schwier has a very fond memory from the 1950’s when she was in her early 20’s and Nora’s Omi (grandmother), had taken her home made German Eierlikör (eggnog) on a visit to the neighbours. While Mami had a brief moment of embarrassment that day, she and Nora continue to make Omi’s delicious eggnog every year at Christmas time.

Every year around Christmas my mother made 2 or 3 bottles of eggnog. When our neighbours invited us over for coffee, cake and a drink, mom took a bottle of her fresh eggnog along, and poured some in her coffee. It must have tasted real good because she kept adding more, till I thought she was getting tipsy. I had never seen her like that before, and I told her she better not have any more. She told me that she was only pretending, and not to worry. Then we all had a good laugh.